Doctor Who: Ranking The Doctor's Sonic Screwdrivers Worst To Best

6. The Second Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

Doctor Who Eleventh Doctor Sonic Screwdriver
BBC Studios

The sonic screwdriver that started it all. First appearing back in 1968's Fury From the Deep, this was the first time the Doctor used the quintessential sci-fi device.

Originally, the Second Doctor's sonic screwdriver looked like a thermometer with a penlight tip and was used primarily to open doors and panels. Acting more like a conventional screwdriver than a scanner - one of its more common modern uses - this variant used sound waves to simply vibrate screws out of locks. Its first functions were literal of its name.

Although not as iconic as other sonic screwdriver models, this classic addition to the Doctor Who mythos should never be forgotten as it shows how far the show has come since its sixties origins.

Alongside various other classic sonics, the Second Doctor's device also appeared in the Twelfth Doctor's desk collection as a homage to the past.

Sound Advice: Best not to take your temperature with it.

Contributor
Contributor

Eden Luke McIntyre is a Scottish writer, editor and script consultant, with an MA in TV Fiction Writing. He writes content for TV, radio, stage, and online, and was appointed as a BBC Writers Room Scottish Voice in early 2020. Eden can usually be found rambling about Doctor Who, The Beatles, and obscure things that no one cares about.